Download our FREE briefing for landlords on electrical safety

Why you need to check your rental electrics

Legal responsibilities and your tenants

Got some propery that you rent out? In recent years the "buy to let" market has increased enormously, creating landlords out of many people who may not realise the full impact of what they're taking on.

Letting a flat or house isn't simply a matter of watching the rental cash roll in, whether you handle it personally or leave it in the hands of a letting agent.

. As a landlord you have a duty of care to your tenants. There are a variety of regulations you have to observe, but many health and safety factors are covered by that simple "duty of care".

For instance, you are required to have a regular check of any gas supply and appliances, supported by a landlord's certificate issued by a duly qualified gas inspector.

There is currently no such explicit requirement for the electrics in a rental property.

But you still have that "duty of care", and if anything were to happen to your tenants or property that was shown to have an electrical cause, how could you show that you had carried out that duty?

Inspections, PAT testing and maintenance

1: Have a regular inspection of your rental property by an expert. Tenants are not always the best caretakers of properties, damage and problems can go unreported for a variety of reasons. An annual inspection - or whenever there is a change of occupant - will help to spot any problems.

2: Have you supplied some of the electrical appliances in the property - washing machine, dish washer, kettle, and so forth? Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) of these items will earn them a green sticker showing that you have had them checked for safety and they've passed (unless they fail, in which case you'd want to know before someone gets hurt).

3: What do you do if there's a problem at your property and the tenant needs it fixed? At PJ Electrics we've plenty of experience helping landlords and tenants sort out electrical issues, everything from a complete electrical failure to changing light bulbs.

Call now on 01242 269916 to discuss your requirements and how we can help.